Winter Blues
by Mogo Girl
Summary: Garcia seems to have a case of the Winter Blues. What does Kevin have to do with it? Will Morgan be able to help in time? Warning: This story will be very anti-Kevin so if you don't like him as the bad guy...don't read. Please,please,please review!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds….darn it!_

_A/N: This is as much an anti Kevin story as much as it is an M/G story so fair warning….if you like Kevin…you may not want to read this one. Story takes place after 100._

Winter Blues

Penelope Garcia watched as the snow fell outside her window. Cupping her hands around a hot mug of cocoa she reflected back on the last few months. They had been difficult months for the BAU culminating in the death of Haley Hotchner and the subsequent investigation which followed. Luckily, Aaron Hotchner, the unit chief, was strong enough to refuse an offer of retirement from Section Leader Strauss and decided he would return to his team in his old position following the funeral and some time to get his young son Jack resettled after the tragedy. For that, Penelope was thankful even if she knew Hotch's return would mean that Derek Morgan would have to step down from that position, back to his old rank of SSA.

Outwardly, Derek was more than willing to let Hotch have his position back. "I always said I would only do this temporarily until Hotch was ready to return and Strauss was off our backs. I knew what I was getting into," Derek had told Penelope. But Penelope knew Derek too well not to see that at least a small part of him had enjoyed being able to lead the team, if even for a short while. He would miss it.

However, with the bad comes the good and Penelope smiled to herself as she remembered Derek calling her "Baby Girl" again the other day for the first time in a long time. While he was acting chief, Derek had turned into someone she wasn't quite sure she knew, the official company man who towed the line. He stopped using their long-standing tradition of nicknames and all of their phone calls had become strictly business, no fun flirtiness thrown in to combat the horrors they dealt with on a daily basis.

Of course it was more than the position. There was also Tamara Barnes. Several months prior to Haley's death, Derek had become involved with Tamara, a family member of a victim. Penelope had tried to warn her best friend that it wasn't a good idea but he didn't see things that way and dated her anyways. Maybe that was the beginning of the end of Penelope and Derek's special bond they had had for so long. Things definitely changed after that and Penelope had missed her best friend tremendously.

Sure, she had Kevin, whom she had been dating for several years, but she knew in her heart he wasn't "The One". She might love him but she knew she could never love anyone the way she had come to love Derek. Not that Derek was in love with her, not that way anyways, but their bond had always been stronger than anything she had ever experienced. Their friendship had gotten each of them through some tough times they may never have gotten through on their own.

And now, things appeared to be headed back to they way they had been, at least a little bit. Derek had not brought Tamara to Haley's funeral and now that he was back to his old position with the team, he had begun to flash that devastating smile of his again. He also seemed more comfortable around Penelope, flirting, touching and slowly beginning to confide in his best friend again. She still wasn't sure if it would ever be what it once was, but she was grateful to have him back in her life at all.

Kevin, on the other hand, was not happy with the way things were going. For almost three years he had had to put up with the "out of bounds" flirting and touching that had gone on between Morgan and Garcia. He had known of their infamous reputation even before meeting Garcia, gossip travels fast in FBI circles, but Penelope had convinced him it was friendship and nothing more. "After all, you're the one I'm dating, silly", Penelope had told him.

Then when Hotch stepped down and Morgan became unit chief, Kevin could sense the change in Morgan and he liked what he saw. Morgan was becoming more and more withdrawn from Penelope and while Kevin knew she was hurting because of it he couldn't help but feel it was about time. Now she could focus on him, her actual boyfriend.

However, things were changing again and he realized that Derek Morgan was headed straight back into Penelope's life if he didn't do something to stop it. _"She's mine and I'll be damned if I let some hot-headed, over muscled, playboy take her away from me!" _Kevin often thought to himself. It didn't matter to him that a big part of Penelope had been missing when her relationships with Derek was on the rocks and that she was hurting because of it. It didn't matter that Penelope considered Derek and the rest of the BAU team her family. To Kevin it only mattered that Penelope was his and she was going to start acting like it. Either she would be his or she would be no ones!

Penelope's daydreams were ended with a start when Kevin snuck up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Damn it, Kevin! You've got to stop doing that, you scared me half to death!" Penelope yelled at him as she turned to wipe some of the hot chocolate she had spilled off of her robe. "You could have burned me!"

"I'm sorry Pen. I thought you heard me coming." Kevin responded. "I just wanted to let you know it was almost seven o'clock and you better get in the shower if you are going to get to work on time."

"Oh, okay, thanks, Kevin. Sorry I snapped at you but you really do have to be more careful," Penelope said as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed off to get her shower.

"I'll make you another cup of hot chocolate for the road to make up for it!" Kevin said as he headed towards the kitchen.

Thirty minutes later as Penelope was heading out the door, Kevin handed her a fresh cup of hot chocolate in her favorite travel mug. "Here you go, Sweetie. It's my own special "Winter Blues" Hot Chocolate recipe." he said with a smile.

"Hmmm, special recipe huh? Smells sweet and delicious, just like you my little hapless hacker" Penelope giggled as she waved goodbye.

Kevin shut the door behind her and headed back to the kitchen. He didn't have to be at work until 10:00 am and set about cleaning up the mess he had made with the hot chocolate. As he picked up the bottle containing his "special ingredient" he chuckled to himself. Looking at the label that read "Antifreeze" he thought, "_that should keep her warm today."_

_TBC_

_Poor Penelope, my muse keeps putting her through hell, but this idea just popped into my head and I couldn't get rid of it. Please R&R and let me know what you think. Your reviews are what keep me going__J_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own C.M…..duh!_

_Thanks to everyone for the reviews and alerts. It's good to know there are some other anti-Kevin people out there. Let's see what he does next__J\_

Chapter 2

Penelope's commute to work was difficult with the snow mixed with normal rush hour traffic. By the time she arrived at the FBI Headquarters, she was developing quite a migraine. Throughout the commute she had continued to sip on Kevin's hot chocolate. He really was good to her, she often felt guilty her love for him would never be more than it was.

Parking Esther in the garage, she slowly made her way up to the BAU unit. She immediately headed for the break room to find some aspirin before heading to her bunker for the morning.

"Morning, Baby Girl" Derek greeted her with one of his trademark smiles.

"Morning" Penelope mumbled back as she headed for the cabinet.

"Penelope? Everything ok?" Derek asked with concern.

"Yeah, just have a little bit of a headache and I guess this cold, dreary weather isn't helping things either," Penelope answered back with as much of a smile as she could muster.

"Well I bet lunch with a piece of that chocolate cake you love so much at our favorite diner would cheer you up. What do you say? I'll come get you at 12:30?" Derek offered. Since stepping down as Unit Chief, Derek had vowed to himself that one of the things he would work on was reestablishing his relationship with his best friend. He knew he had been acting like a fool and had finally realized if he didn't do something quick, he would lose her friendship….something he couldn't bear the thought of.

"I don't know Derek, maybe, check with me later, huh?" Penelope said as she grabbed the aspirin bottle and headed towards her office.

Watching as she left, Derek furrowed his brows in concern. She hadn't used a single nickname or flirtatious remark in their conversation. She was either suffering from a serious case of the Winter Blues or something was terribly wrong. With all that had happened in the past few months a little depression was certainly understandable. Deciding to give her a little space he made a note to make sure and check on her later. He would do all he could to get her out at lunch. They were long overdue a talk anyways.

**10:30 a.m.**

Garcia had spent the first part of her morning updating her computers. Her headache had dulled but never went completely away.

"Hey Pen, how's it going?"

Jumping at the unexpected interruption, Penelope turned to find Kevin standing in her doorway.

"Damn it, Kevin…you did it again!" Penelope scolded.

"Sorry, just stopping by to see how my girl was doing and to see if you felt like going to lunch later." Kevin asked.

"That's sweet, Kevin but, uhm, I've actually already got plans for lunch."

"Oh yeah? You didn't say anything about having lunch plans when you left this morning." Kevin said. "Surely if it's something that just came up, you can break it to have lunch with your boyfriend."

"Well that wouldn't be very polite and anyways I told Derek I wasn't sure if I would be up for lunch at all. I'm really not feeling very great today." Penelope explained.

"Derek Morgan, I should have known." Kevin scowled.

"Now, Kevin, we've talked about this. He's my best friend, you knew that when we started dating. Besides, I've spent almost no time with him in the last several months and now with all that has happened, I feel like I should. There's no need for you to feel threatened." Penelope explained although even she wasn't completely convinced that was exactly true.

"Yeah, you're right Pen. I can't help it if I'm jealous of my beautiful girl." Kevin agreed as he tried to portray a confident attitude. However, inside his blood was boiling. His suspicions were now confirmed, Morgan was worming his way back into her life and he couldn't let that happen.

Reaching down to the floor beside him, Kevin picked up a silver thermos from the floor just outside of her door. He had hoped it was something he wouldn't have to resort to but knew now he had no choice. "I guess I'll just have to wait to see you at home then but until then, I brought you a treat."

"A treat? For me?" Penelope smiled back.

"Yep. I know how you hate the cold weather and so I brought you a whole thermos of the hot chocolate I made for you this morning to keep you warm and cozy."

Taking the thermos from him, Penelope went over to him and gave him a hug. 'Thanks for understanding , Sugar. And thanks for the hot chocolate, it was delicious. I'll definitely enjoy it while I'm working."

"Ok, then, I guess I better get to work myself. I hope you feel better, Pen. If you need anything, give me a call,' Kevin said as he hugged her back and headed out.

Heading back to her seat, Garcia smiled as she twisted the cap off the thermos. As she sat back down, she poured herself a mugful and took a long sip of the hot creamy liquid. It felt good as it went down her throat and warmed her body. Perhaps she would have that lunch with Derek after all.

_TBC._

_Hope you are enjoying. As always please don't forget to reviewing. Will try to update in the next 24 hours._


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds just my twisted plot bunnies. _

_Hugs to my reviewers…I love reading your opinions and comments. Thanks!_

Chapter 3

**12:00 p.m.**

Derek sat back from the paperwork he had been forcing himself to finish, leaned back in his chair and took a look around the bullpen. Things finally appeared to be getting back to some sense of normalcy at the BAU. Reid and Prentiss were at their desks having a "discussion" about some inane fact; Hotch was in his office on the phone, Rossi was in his office making notes, probably for another book he had coming out and JJ was in her own office, buried knee-deep in files of potential cases.

The only thing missing was the blur of color and sunshine that usually filled the office as Penelope would swish through for one thing or another. The way she would always tease Reid to the point of blushing or her laughter as she spoke conspiratorially with Emily and JJ, always bringing a lightness to the room that was otherwise missing. Derek realized that Penelope hadn't come out of her office all morning, and that worried him. He decided it was time to go and make a check on her.

Approaching the door of Penelope's office, Derek noticed that her door was closed and their appeared to be no light coming out from under the door. Knowing that she would have had to pass through the bullpen to leave, he was pretty sure that she had to still be inside. Knocking lightly and turning the door knob, Derek gently opened the door. All the overhead lights had been turned off but from the glow of the numerous monitors in the room, he could just make out Penelope lying on her couch with her arm crossed over her eyes.

"Baby Girl? Are you awake?" He asked softly as he knelt down beside the couch.

"Hmmmm? Derek?" Penelope stammered as she struggled to open her eyes and sit up. "Is it lunchtime already?"

"No, Penelope, I'm a little early. I just wanted to check on you and it looks like it's a good thing I did….what's wrong, Princess?" Derek asked as he watched Penelope rub her temples and fight more than she should to become alert.

"It's nothing, Sweetie. I just have this major headache I can't seem to get rid of and decided to lay down for a few minutes. I must have fallen asleep" Penelope explained to Derek although, in truth, she felt more like she had been hit by a truck. "So are you here to take me to lunch, my chivalrous profiler?" she asked trying to force a smile.

"Look, Penelope, if you're not feeling well, why don't you let me take you home. We can do lunch some other time."

"No way! I'm not missing out on a piece of luscious chocolate cake from my luscious chocolate adonis!" Penelope teased.

"Well all right then, let's get you out of this dreary office and into some sunshine. The vitamin D will do you good," Derek stood and went to turn on the light.

As the lights flashed on, Penelope felt as if someone was sticking an ice pick into her head, the pain was so intense. Not wanting to worry Derek anymore than he already was, she did her best to hide any outward signs of her pain. Derek headed back over to the couch and held out his hand to help her up off the couch. As she stood, Penelope's world began to spin and she became dizzy. Unable to keep her balance she fell forward into Derek's arms with a cry.

"Baby Girl!" Derek gasped as Penelope collapsed into his arms. Picking her up and carrying her back over to the couch, he gently laid her back down. "Penelope, talk to me woman! What's going on with you?"

"Oh Derek, I don't know….it hurts so bad! And when I stood up, it was like the whole room was a merry go round," she cried as tears began to fall down her face.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Derek realized he was going to need some reinforcements. "Hang on, just a second Baby Girl. I'm going to get you some help" he said as he reached for the phone on Penelope's desk. Dialing Hotch's extension, he prayed the Unit Chief was still in his office.

"Hotchner"

"Hotch, it's Morgan. I need you down in Garcia's office, right away. And call an ambulance, something's terribly wrong with her," Derek told him as he watched Penelope grimace in pain.

"You got it," Hotch quickly answered, "We'll be right there." Hotch hung up with Morgan and immediately called 911 for an ambulance. On the way to Garcia's office he stuck his head in Rossi's door and asked him to come with him.

"What's up, Aaron?" Rossi inquired.

"I'm not sure, Dave. Morgan just called up from Garcia's office telling me to get an ambulance for her. That's all I know right now."

"Well, let's get down there then." Rossi agreed as he quickly joined Hotchner.

Within a few minutes, Rossi and Hotch had arrived at Garcia's office to find Derek sitting on the couch trying to soothe Penelope as she cried in pain. She also appeared to be having trouble catching her breath.

"Ambulance is on the way, Derek. What happened?" asked Hotch as he entered the room surprised to see his usually bubbly technical analyst in such a state. Bending down to put a kiss on Penelope's forehead, Derek got up and allowed Rossi to take his place next to her while he told Hotch what little he knew.

"I'm not sure, Hotch. I know she came in this morning with a headache and when I asked her to go to lunch with me, she said she wasn't sure if she was going to feel up to it. I know she's been down with all that's happened and I thought it might just be related to that, you know?" Derek spoke rapidly, never taking his eyes off Penelope. Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck he continued, "When I hadn't seen her all morning, I came to check on her and found her in here with all the lights off, lying on her couch. She still insisted she was fine and wanted to keep our lunch date. When she tried to get up to leave, she became dizzy and collapsed. That's when I called you. It seems to have gotten even worse since then," Derek observed with worry covering his face.

"Derek!" Penelope suddenly screamed out. "Derek, make it stop hurting!" she panted as she tried to catch her breath.

Rossi stood up allowing Derek to sit back next to her. "I'm here Baby Girl, I'm here. Help is coming." Derek soothed as he pushed her hair out of her face. Feeling her head, he realized she was burning up with fever.

"Hotch! Where the hell's that ambulance?" he yelled. "She feels like a furnace!"

Finally, after what seemed like hours to Derek, the ambulance arrived and the paramedics readied Penelope for transport to the hospital. The whole time, Derek never left her side and kept a firm grip on her hand. Seeing Penelope in such pain was frightening and he knew that whatever was happening to her couldn't be good.

"Derek, you stay with her in the ambulance. I'll inform the rest of the team and let them know what's gong on. I guess somebody better inform Lynch, too. Does anyone know if he's working today?" Hotch asked.

"I think I saw him around mid morning, leaving Penelope's office" Rossi informed Hotch.

"Right. Ok Derek, take care of our girl, huh? We'll meet you at the hospital as soon as we can." Hotch instructed as Penelope was wheeled out towards the waiting ambulance.

* * *

From his office window two floors above, Lynch had seen the ambulance pull up into the FBI garage. He knew immediately that it had to be for Penelope. He had thought of going down to the BAU office right away but then decided that if he showed up with no explanation of how he knew the ambulance was for Garcia, suspicions might be raised. So he decided to wait for the call he knew would come. Acting as the surprised, concerned boyfriend would surely be the natural thing to do.

Sure enough, within a few minutes, the call came, from Aaron Hotchner, himself, no less, and Kevin caught an elevator for the BAU floor. His plan had been to swoop in and take care of Penelope as her white knight but when he arrived, the scene before him set his blood to boiling. There was Penelope being taken out to the ambulance with who else but that damned Derek Morgan by her side, holding her hand. Morgan was cooing and speaking to her like he was the boyfriend instead of Kevin. Before he could step in, he was approached by David Rossi.

"Kevin, why don't you ride into the hospital with us? She's in good hands right now and Derek seems to be able to keep her calm," Rossi said as he put on his coat.

"Uhm, yeah, sure…sounds like a good idea. Thanks," Kevin stammered as he struggled to keep his anger from seething over. "Do you mind if I run to her office and get her bag first? I didn't see it with her and she'll probably need insurance cards and stuff," he stated knowing that he needed a chance to dispose of the thermos in case anything was discovered at the hospital.

"Good idea, Kevin. I'll meet you in the garage in five mintues, " Rossi said as he headed out the door.

Once in her office, Kevin grabbed the thermos and as he was leaving the building, threw it into a community garbage container just outside the elevator doors. Having disposed of the 'evidence', he headed down to meet the others.

_TBC_

_Not sure where my muse is taking all of this but I have a feeling there will be a confrontation at the hospital before it's over with. We'll just have to wait and see. Any and all suggestions are always welcome__ Don't forget to review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds! _

_Thanks for the reviews. Don't worry. The beginning of the end for Kevin is coming _

Chapter 4

Two hours later the whole BAU team and Kevin Lynch were still in the ER waiting room hoping to hear some news. Penelope had gotten progressively worse on the way in and by the time they had reached the hospital, she was nearly unconscious and the paramedics had had to put her on oxygen. Derek had done his best to stay with her but the doctors had insisted that he would have to wait with the others. He had spent the last two hours pacing, he couldn't believe this was happening again. The last time when she was shot, all had turned out fine in the end but he didn't have such a good feeling this time.

While waiting, the others were wracking their brains trying to figure out what had happened to their tech. Kevin, of course, offered no help on the subject. When questioned by Hotch about what he might know, he simply answered that she was fine when she left the house that morning. He couldn't understand what was happening either.

Slamming his hand against the wall, Derek's frustration was beginning to show through. "Damn it, why can't they tell us anything?" he demanded to know to anyone who would listen.

"C'mon, Derek, they'll tell us something as soon as they know anything," JJ said trying to calm him down. "Come and sit down with us," she urged as she led him over to where the rest of the team was sitting.

"I just don't understand it, man. If she was that sick, why didn't she tell me?" Derek moaned as he put his head in his hands. He felt guilty for the last several months and the distance that he had let come between them. He just knew that if he had been more attentive to her, things would have never have gotten to this point. Emily and JJ tried their best to console their friend.

Reid, in the meantime, had kept a careful eye on Kevin Lynch. Something about his reaction to the whole situation wasn't sitting right with him, he just couldn't put his finger on what it was. Walking over to where Hotch and Rossi were talking he interrupted their conversation, "Excuse me Hotch, but can I talk to you guys for a second?"

"Sure Reid, what's on your mind?" Hotch responded.

"I'm not sure, really. I was just wondering, what do you make of Lynch?" he asked as he kept his eyes on Lynch who was thumbing through some news magazine.

"Well he's never been my favorite person, but I don't think that's what you mean is it Reid?" Rossi said.

"No. I can't put my finger on it but doesn't his reaction to all of this seem kind of off? I mean if that were my girlfriend in there, I would be much more upset than he appears to be. His body language isn't tense at all and he hasn't asked about her status once since we've been here and he seems awfully relaxed to me. I mean look at Morgan, his response is what I would expect out of a boyfriend or someone who at least cared about her," Reid observed.

"Actually, I was thinking along the same lines," agreed Hotch as he crossed his arms on his chest. "And, now that you mention it, when I first called him to tell him what was going on, he almost sounded like he had expected the call."

"What are you two, saying? You think he knows more than he's letting on?" Rossi asked.

"I don't know, but I think we should keep an eye on him for now." Hotch said. "Let's not say anything to the others. If Morgan catches wind of this and even thinks Lynch has something do with this, well, it's not a scene we need to have right now. We'll wait and see what the doctors have to say."

"Agreed." Rossi said with a nod of his head.

Another 30 minutes passed before a doctor finally came into the waiting room.

"Garcia?" he asked.

Immediately the six team members stepped forward. Lynch stood at the back of the pack looking almost bored with the whole situation.

"How is she, doc?" Morgan immediately demanded to know.

"Well, thank God you got her here when you did. She's in bad shape and I don't know if she would have lasted much longer without medical intervention," the doctor began. "But I think she's got a shot. She's strong and determined."

"What exactly is wrong with her doctor?" Hotch inquired.

"She's either been poisoned or she tried to commit suicide," the doctor stated succinctly.

"Suicide? You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Morgan quickly spoke up as he stepped towards the doctor. Hotch and Rossi quickly reached out to hold him back.

"We found fairly large amounts of antifreeze in her system. I'm guessing that didn't get there by accident," the doctor explained. "Whatever the method of ingestion, it almost killed her."

"So what's her current condition?" JJ asked now scared to death of the answer she might hear.

"She's in ICU. She's on a ventilator and we have her on dialysis because her kidneys have started to shut down. We're hoping we got her system flushed soon enough that the effects will be temporary. But really, right now, it's a waiting game."

"Oh my God, Baby Girl," Derek said under his breath trying to process what he had just been told. "I want to see her, Doc." he insisted.

"Wait a minute, Morgan!" Kevin finally spoke up as he became angry watching Morgan trying, once again, to take over his role. "That's my girlfriend in there and if anyone goes in, I do!" Kevin stated trying to sound forceful.

Derek just stared back at him, daring him with his eyes to get in between him and his Baby Girl.

"Gentlemen, it really doesn't matter at this point. There will be no visitors for the next 12 hours. We want to make sure she's stable first and she definitely doesn't need this kind of stress around her at the moment," the doctor interjected. "Is that understood?"

"Well, I'm not leaving this waiting room and I want hourly updates, you got it doc?" Derek demanded.

"Derek, back off, the man is doing his job. We'll all stay and I'll make sure we're kept notified of her condition," Hotch stepped in trying to calm the situation.

"Yeah, man, I got it," Derek conceded as Reid, JJ and Emily took him back over to the seating area.

As the doctor started to walk off and the others had dispersed around the waiting room, Kevin reached out and touched the doctor on his arm. "Hey doc," he said in a hushed tone, "So you think she's going to make it?" he asked.

"Well right now I'd say it's 70/30. We're doing all we can," the doctor informed him before heading back to the ICU to check on his patient.

"_Then I better make sure those odds change_," thought Kevin to himself. _I'm sick and tired of this little dance between her and Morgan. It's time to show them who's really boss. It's time to let him know what it would be like without her…just like I feel everytime she's working late or out with him instead of home with me like she should be…"_

_TBC_

_Please, as always, keep those reviews coming. A quick note about the Antifreeze poisoning. I have no training in the medical field and while I did look up some of the symptoms I have no idea how the symptoms would progress. Please forgive all inaccuracies, they are all mine and just know I have made extensive use of poetic license on this subject. Thanks!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds…no matter how much I want to. _

**Chapter 5**

Since the doctor's report, Hotch, Rossi and Reid had been working on how to proceed with their assumptions.

"We all know full well that Garcia didn't try to commit suicide," Rossi announced. "So, basically that means someone was trying to either seriously harm her or even kill her. And I think we all agree that Lynch had something to do with this."

'How do we prove it, though?", Reid wondered out loud. "We have nothing to go on."

"Then we need to find some proof," Hotch plainly stated. "Rossi, I want you to head over to Penelope's apartment and see if you can find the antifreeze or something that would show how she was poisoned. Take Emily and JJ with you, they're pretty familiar with her apartment and where everything is. Tell them you need to go pick up some food or something for the team. Wait to tell them what's really going on until you get them out of here. We don't want to let Morgan know what we suspect until it's absolutely neccessary. Reid, I want you to work on Lynch. I think you would be the least threatening to him. Befriend him, sit and talk with him see if you can find out something that would suggest a motive for him doing this," Hotch instructed as Reid nodded in understanding.

"What are you going to do, Aaron?" Rossi asked.

"I'm going to try and get Morgan out of here for a while. He doesn't need to see Reid talking with Lynch and he probably needs something to eat about now anyways. Let's try to meet back here in about an hour. I don't think I can keep Morgan out of here any longer than that. Let's go."

**30 minutes later:**

It had taken some convincing but Hotch was finally able to get Morgan out of the hospital to a diner across the street. "C'mon Derek, you have to eat something…Garcia's going to want to see you there when she wakes up and you need to keep your strength up,' Hotch urged.

Sitting back in the booth Derek replied with a sigh, "I know, man, but my God, Hotch, what if she doesn't wake up? Why didn't I check on her sooner? I knew something wasn't right when I saw her this morning. Damn it all to hell!" Morgan slapped the table causing his untouched coffee to spill over the side of the cup splashing onto the table.

Reaching for a napkin, Hotch began to mop up the lukewarm liquid. "This isn't your fault, Derek."

"Yeah, well then whose fault is it? Where the hell did that antifreeze in her system come from?" Derek stopped short as the realization finally hit him full force. He had been so caught up in worrying about Penelope that everything the doctor had said hadn't really sunk in until he had said it out loud. "Hotch, someone's trying to kill her and I think you know what's going on….tell me, NOW!" Derek demanded with a fire burning in his eyes.

"Derek, I'm not going to tell you anything if you don't calm down. Right now we don't have any proof but we're working it. Until we do though, I can't have you jumping to conclusions and going off half-cocked on someone who might be innocent," Hotch reasoned.

"Someone? You mean you think you know who did this and you're not telling me? How am I supposed to protect my woman in there if I don't even know who to protect her from?"

"I promise you she's as safe as she can be right now, Derek," Hotch reassured the younger man. "By the way, do you realize what you just said?" Hotch asked with an amused look on his face.

"Yeah I want to protect my…" Derek stopped as he realized how easily and naturally the words had rolled off his tongue. "My woman. Damn it, Hotch, that's what she should be, should have been a long time ago but I've been too stubborn and stupid to do anything about it. And now it's too late. Even if she does survive this, she's with Kevin and is happy. Man, I have screwed things up is so many ways," he said as he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hands.

"It's never too late, Derek. I learned that the hard way, don't let it happen to you. When she's awake, you're going to tell her all of those things you've wanted to for a long time and I bet she'll be happy to hear them." Hotch rewarded Derek with one of his rare smiles.

"I hope so, man, I hope so."

Hotch was able to keep Derek talking about Penelope for the next 20 minutes, refusing to give him any information as to who their suspect was by promising to give him first shot at him only when they had their proof. Derek agreed to focus his attention on his Baby Girl until Hotch and the rest of team had the information they needed making it well known that he wouldn't let Hotch go back on his promise.

**30 minutes later, Back at the hospital**

Nightfall was approaching and the team had all assembled back in the waiting room, no one willing to go home until they could see Penelope's smile for themselves. Emily and JJ keeping an eye on Derek, while they also kept tabs on Kevin. They were doing their best not to give away what they had learned earlier with the evil looks they were sure they were throwing Kevin's way.

Hotch, Rossi and Reid had taken a walk down to the end of the corridor and were discussing the results of their investigations.

"Any luck at Garcia's apartment, Dave?" Hotch asked.

"Well, yes and no. We actually found a partially used bottle of antifreeze underneath her kitchen sink. We also found some cups and a pot in the sink that look like they had been used for hot chocolate this morning recently."

"That actually makes sense," Reid mused. "Antifreeze is often ingested by pets and small children because it doesn't have a bad smell and the taste of it is actually sweet. To put some in a drink like hot chocolate would be a perfect delivery system. The victim would never recognize the taste as something dangerous."

"That's great, then!" Hotch said. "But you said 'yes and no'. What aren't you telling us Dave?"

"Kevin and Garcia practically live together, right? So while we found this stuff and even found his fingerprints on it, it's not the proof we need. Lynch's fingerprints are going to be all over everything anyways…too easily explained away." Rossi said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Nodding sternly, Hotch turned to Reid, "Were you able to find out anything from Lynch?"

"Not exactly. I still don't think his emotional state is right. He appears to be almost removed from the situation. I mean, he says the right things about being worried about Garcia and all but there's no emotion behind it. It's like he's just going through the motions. As a matter of fact the only time he does appear to show true emotion is when Derek's name is mentioned."

"Derek?" Rossi interjected.

"Yeah, one mention of Morgan and Lynch's heart rate and breathing speed up and his body tenses up."

"There's our motive." Hotch stated. "He's pissed at Morgan and Garcia's relationship. It makes sense if you think about it. The last few months, Morgan and Garcia haven't really been as close but now that things are getting back to normal, their relationship is reestablishing. Kevin doesn't like what he sees so he finds a way to hurt them both," Hotch explained, everything becoming clear to him now.

"So we know who and why but we have no proof. What the hell do we do now?" Rossi asked.

"My guess is, Kevin's just here biding his time. Did you hear how upset he got when Morgan wanted to go and see Garcia first? He doesn't want that, he's worried she'll have figured things out too when the doctors tell her about the antifreeze. He's going to want to stop her from talking. So…..we let him." Aaron stated.

"What??" Rossi and Reid said at the same time thinking Hotch had lost his mind.

"Gentlemen, it's simple, we set him up and catch him in the act. And if we do this right, Morgan can be the one to catch him," Hotch explained with a slight sparkle in his eyes. This was going to be one sting operation he was going to enjoy.

_TBC_

_Next chapter…the sting operation commences__J Please review and let me know what you think. _


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds…just use them shamelessly for my enjoyment_

Chapter 6.

A few minutes after speaking with Rossi and Reid, Hotch left the waiting area using the excuse that he needed to make some phone calls for work. In reality, he was going to find the doctor and set their plan in motion.

**The next morning 7:00 a.m.**

It had been a long night in the waiting room, everyone sleeping in chairs and across couches trying to make it through the night the best they could. As everyone began to stir, Derek and Hotch offered to go for fresh coffee. A few minutes after they left, the doctor arrived in the waiting room with an update. Kevin immediately stood up and waited to hear what he had to say.

"Ms. Garcia made it through the night as well as to be expected," the doctor began to explain. "We've taken her off the dialysis machine and we are hoping to remove the ventilator within a few hours. She's still very weak and is going to need plenty of recovery time but I feel like the worst is over."

A cumulative sigh of relief came from Emily, JJ, Rossi and Reid as hugs were passed around and tears of joy were shed. Kevin tried to appear as if he were sharing in the joy but he knew that Penelope's recovery would only mean bad things for him. He decided he would have to take care of his problem now, if he was ever going to have the chance.

"Doctor, can I see her now please?" Kevin asked knowing he needed to get into that room first.

"All right, Mr. Lynch. You can go in but alone and only for a few minutes. As I said, she is still weak and can't stand much excitement," the doctor allowed. "I'll have a nurse come and take you to her room."

"Thank you." Kevin responded and headed towards the nurses station.

JJ and Emily exchanged hopeful glances, knowing the trap was in place. Emily raised her sleeve to her mouth and advised Hotch through the small communication device that Kevin was enroute.

Up in the third floor ICU, unbeknownst to Kevin, Morgan and Hotch had been visiting with Garcia on and off throughout the night. Once Hotch had informed the doctor of what was going on, he had been more than willing to cooperate with their plan.

Derek's heart had broken in two when he had first walked into Penelope's room and had seen her near lifeless body attached to all of the machines and tubing. Walking over to her bed for the first time, a tear ran down his check as he gently took her hand in his and stroked the back of it with his thumbs. "I'm so sorry Baby Girl", he softly told her. "I should have seen what was happening with Lynch…I should have been there to protect you. I love you, Woman and I always have."

Upon hearing his declaration, Penelope opened her eyes and stared directly into Derek's own beautiful brown orbs. Unable to speak because of the ventilator tube, she simply squeezed his hand in response and then took her pinky, index finger and thumb and formed the "I Love You" sign. Derek picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it over and over. For the next few minutes, the two of them just sat with each other, letting their eyes say what they hadn't been able to say before.

Around 4:00 am the doctor had informed Hotch that he was going to be able to remove Garcia from both the dialysis machine AND the ventilator. Derek had sat holding Penelope's hands as the tubes and needles were removed, stroking her and telling her how much he loved her the whole time.

Once the machinery was removed and Penelope appeared stable enough, Hotch sat down on the opposite side of the bed and, together with Morgan, they explained to Penelope all that had happened and what their plan was. Although she was scared and heartbroken by what Lynch had done to her, she readily agreed to do what had to be done to get him out of her life once and for all. She was scared that if she didn't, eventually Lynch would also go after Morgan and she would never forgive herself if something happened to Derek because of her.

Kevin's hands were sweaty and he nervously took a deep breath as he stood outside of Penelope's hospital room door. He could hardly believe what he was about to do but had decided that, at this point, there was no other way around it. He would miss her, but there would always be someone else and watching Derek Morgan suffer would be reward enough for him.

Stepping into her darkened room he slowly stepped up to her bed. "Penelope?" he said, not sure if she was awake. To his relief, she still appeared to be asleep and he quickly took a look at the tubes leading from her mouth to the ventilator machine. Making sure that no doctors or nurses were around, he reached over to the red power button on the ventilator and quickly switched it off. Listening as the machine powered down, he watched as the rise and fall of Penelope's chest began to fade. "So long, Penny, it was fun while it lasted," he said as he turned to leave the room.

As he was turning to make his get away, Hotch stepped into the doorway, blocking his exit. "What the…?" Kevin started to exclaim. Before he had a chance to register what was happening, Derek stepped out from behind the room divider and grabbed him from behind, slamming him hard up against the wall.

"You're not going anywhere, Asshole!" Derek hissed in his ear as he held him up by the collar of his shirt.

Feeling the blood run down his face where his nose had hit the wall, Kevin knew he was caught and there was no way out of it. "You may have me, Morgan, but you're too late to save your stupid girlfriend." he snarled back at Morgan.

"No he's not, Kevin." Kevin couldn't believe what he had just heard. Derek pulled him around to face the bed so he could see Penelope staring back at him with tears in her eyes, all tubes and machinery disconnected.

"How the hell?..." was all Kevin managed to stammer out as he stared at her in disbelief.

"You stupid little fuck!" Derek spat in his face. "The ventilator tube was a fake! I would have thought a geek like you would have done a better check of the equipment."

"You tricked me!" Kevin yelled. "This is entrapment, you have nothing on me…you'll never make it stick!" Kevin shouted hysterically.

"Oh we'll make it stick, we watched the whole thing you cold hearted bastard. Not to mention the antifreeze bottle with your fingerprints all over it in Penelope's apartment," Derek said with a satisfied grin. "You just better know how lucky you are that Hotch is here and I don't personally tear you apart, piece by piece for what you did to Penelope. She never lied to you. You knew from the day you met that we were best friends. She never once cheated on you or did you wrong. You should have known better than to mess around with my best friend and the woman I'm in love with." With that, Derek pushed Lynch into Hotch's hands. "Get him the hell out of my sight before I do something I shouldn't do!"

Hotch led Lynch over to the rest of the team who had been waiting outside the ICU. Giving them a nod indicating everyone was ok, he handed Lynch off to a waiting Rossi who handcuffed Lynch and along with the others, headed back to the BAU. They would come back later to see Garcia but they knew now that Derek needed his time with her alone.

As soon as Lynch was gone…Derek headed over to Penelope, sat on the edge of her bed and scooped her into his embrace. For the next several minutes, he held her close as she cried against his chest. He knew she needed to mourn the relationship that was now gone and even more than that, she needed to feel safe and protected. "It's over, Baby Girl. He'll never hurt you again, I promise." he reassured her as he stroked her hair.

When the tears were gone, she sat back and looked him straight in the eye. "Did you mean what you told him, Derek? Am I really the woman you are in love with?"

"Yes, Baby Girl, I meant it. I've always loved you, since the first day I laid eyes on you. I'm just sorry you didn't know until now." Derek professed to her. Leaning forward until his forehead was touching hers, he looked at her and promised, "You will never be in doubt again, Princess. I promise to tell you and show you every day for the rest of our lives how much I love you."

"Oh Derek, I love you too, my delicious God of Chocolate Thunder."

Derek chuckled as he drew her back into his arms, knowing that finally, all was right with the world.

The END!!!!!

_I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think of the ending. _


	7. Epilogue

_I don't own Criminal Minds_

_Several people has asked for an epilogue to Winter Blues so here it is. Thanks for caring enough to want more! _

**Epilogue **

It had been almost a week and a half since Kevin Lynch had been arrested for attempting to murder Penelope, along with a host of other charges that were sure to lock him away for years to come.

Derek had been constantly at Penelope's side while she was in the hospital, only going home long enough to shower and eat when Hotch forced him to. Penelope was healing well and today was the day she was being released from the hospital.

"Are you ready to get back home, Baby Girl?" Derek asked as he helped her to pack some of her belongings.

"I guess so," Penelope said with what sounded like a sense of reluctance.

"Penelope? Are you not feeling well?" Derek asked with concern as he walked over to the bathroom where she was putting on her makeup. "If you need to stay, you just say the word and I'll get the doctor."

"It's not that Derek, it's just….oh, nevermind, it's silly." Penelope said dismissively.

"Uh-uh Woman. You don't make a statement like that and not explain yourself. Front and center!" Derek gently demanded as he motioned for her to come and stand in front of him so he could look her in the eyes. "Now, spit it out!"

"I guess I'm scared," Penelope said softly, avoiding eye contact with Derek.

Taking his finger and lifting her chin so that she had no choice but to look into his eyes, Derek tried to reassure her, "It's over Baby, Lynch is in jail and he's not getting out for a long time. He's not going to hurt you anymore, I promise," Derek said with a tender smile.

"I know that my hero, but it's not Lynch I'm scared of." Penelope replied.

"Then what, Penelope?"

Shifting nervously from one foot to another Penelope hesitated, not wanting to express her concerns out loud.

"Penelope?" Derek urged.

"It's us, Derek. I'm scared about us." Penelope finally admitted softly.

"Us?" Derek asked incredulously. "Why in the world would you be scared about us, Gorgeous?"

Suddenly, all of the worries and concerns that Penelope had been holding back came rushing forth, "Oh Derek, how is this going to last? What we've had since I've been in the hospital isn't the real world. You've been my hero, my protector and my care taker and I love you for that but what happens when everything gets back to normal and reality sets back in? What happens when we try to be together all of the time and you find out all of my little bad habits and my moods? What if all my little idiosyncracies that you think you love now are really just things that annoy you? What happens when other, more beautiful women come along and you realize I'm not really what you want?" The words have come out in a rush of emotion and Penelope was shaking by the time she was through. But she knew, for her own sanity, she had had to say these things. The break from Derek would be much easier now than months from now.

Derek just looked at Penelope for several seconds before breaking out in a throaty laughter.

"Derek! I don't think there's anything funny about all of this!" Penelope cried.

"Woman, you are the most wonderfully silly girl I've ever known," Derek smiled as he reached out and pulled her close. "Don't you see, just the fact that you are so worried about these things proves that we are going to be okay."

"I don't understand…" Penelope said from the comfort of his arms.

"It's how I know you care so much, my Goddess. If the love wasn't there, you wouldn't be worried and the fact that you are just proves to me how strong your love is for me. I promise you that everything is not only going to work out, but it's going to get stronger."

"How do you know that, Derek?"

Pushing her back just enough to look in her eyes, Derek explained, "Because, Goddess, I didn't fall in love with just any woman, I fell in love with my best friend. And that's a beautiful thing." Derek leaned down and after kissing the tears off of her cheeks, he pressed his lips against hers. What started as a tender kiss, soon became passionate as he pulled her close against his body and his tongue was granted access into her warm mouth as a soft moan escaped from her throat. It was a kiss that left them both breathless.

"Now about those doubts, Baby Girl?"

"Mmmmm, what doubts?" Penelope laughed as she answered.

THE END


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